FTW96LA275

Factual narrative

On June 24, 1996, at 1130 mountain daylight time, a Rockwell S2R, N4907X, exited the end of the runway during the takeoff roll at Las Animas County Airport, Las Animas, Colorado. The commercial pilot was not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The flight was a local area aerial application flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. According to the pilot, he was taking off from runway 26 and did not clear a ditch located at the end of the runway. Density altitude at the time was 6,500 feet and the wind was reported by the pilot to be from 010 degrees magnetic at 10 miles per hour. The pilot said that airspeed was not building at a "continuous rate" and he had insufficient runway available to abort the takeoff. He said he dumped the load (24D herbicide) and the aircraft exited the end of the runway up an inclined ditch bank which "launched" the aircraft into the air. The aircraft stalled left wing down and impacted the ground in a nose down 15 degree left bank. During the takeoff roll on runway 26, the aircraft did not attain sufficient airspeed to achieve flight. The pilot reported that the airplane did not accelerate at a continuous rate, and there was insufficient runway remaining to abort the takeoff. He dumped the load, but the aircraft overran the end of the runway and went up an incline bank, which launched it into the air. A stall ensued and the aircraft impacted the ground in a nose down 15 degree left wing down attitude. Wind at the time was from 010 degrees at 10 miles per hour. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12